Feed Aggregator Page 627
Rendered on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:30:07 GMT
Interactive Brokers vs. Merrill Edge: Comparing Online Trading Accounts
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:15:00 GMT
These Gold Stocks Doubled in 2016. Can They Fly Even Higher in 2017?
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:13:00 GMT
Snowden's Lawyer Appeals To Trump After Russia Extends His Asylum For Three Years
via by Tyler Durden on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:11:51 GMT
Following an announcement that Edward Snowden's Russian asylum status was extended for another three years allowing him to stay in the country until 2020, his lawyer said that the former NSA is legally eligible to obtain Russian citizenship.
Russian authorities said earlier on Wednesday they had extended a residency permit for Snowden, who was given asylum in Russia after leaking classified information about U.S. spy operations. That permit is now valid until 2020, the lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, was quoted as saying by Russia's RIA news agency.
"In effect, he now has all grounds to receive citizenship in the future, over the course of a certain period, since under the law we have a period of residence on Russia soil of not less than 5 years (to receive Russian citizenship)," Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told RIA Novosti news agency. "This means that if he decides [to apply for citizenship] in the near future, it will be legally possible. He has now lived in Russia for almost four years, has not violated any laws, and there are no [legal] claims against him – this is one of the reasons his residence permit was extended,” Kucherena explained.
In a statement to Interfax cited by RT, Kucherena expressed hope that the incoming US administration headed by Donald Trump will change Washington’s attitude towards the former whistleblower.
“I hope that the administration of President-elect Donald Trump will be more sensitive and objective in its consideration of the Snowden issue and will change the attitude the official authorities [expressed] towards it,” Kucherena stated on Wednesday, noting that in order “to do this, they need only to work through Snowden’s story and realize that he did not commit any crime.”
The news of Russia extending Snowden’s residence permit was first announced on Tuesday, when Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed in a Facebook post that his asylum renewal had been secured.
Her post came in response to an op-ed by former CIA Director Michael Morell published Sunday in the The Cipher Brief, in which he suggested Edward Snowden be presented as the “perfect inauguration gift” from Vladimir Putin to Donald Trump.
Zakharova responded sharply, saying that Russia does not betray its principles and does not hand out “gifts,” especially when these “gifts” may face prosecution.
“You failed to understand Russia, Michael Morell,” Zakharova stated, implying that Russia does not surrender those who might be unfairly prosecuted in another country.
Highest Rent Inflation Since 2007 Sends Core CPI Above Fed's Target For 14th Consecutive Month
via by Tyler Durden on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:03:10 GMT
US headline inflation rose for a 5th consecutive month, and has not seen a negative print since February, following today's report that CPI in December rose 0.3%, and up 2.1% from a year ago, the highest since June 2014. Both measures came in line with expectations as energy and gas costs rise and rents and medical costs continued to rise.
Energy costs increased 1.5% from a month earlier, as gasoline rose 3%. Food prices were unchanged for a sixth month, however thiw as more than offset by shelter expenses which climbed 0.3%, reflecting a jump in rental costs.
As shown below, rent inflation rose 4.0% in December, the highest annual increase since December 2007, pushing shelter inflation up 3.6% Y/Y.
The core CPI measure increased 2.2 percent from December 2015, after rising 2.1 percent in the prior 12-month period. Core inflation has now printed above the Fed's target rate of 2.0% for 14 consecutive months.
Continued rising prices should further boost inflation and strengthening the case for the Fed to keep raising interest rates this year, although the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures price measure, which puts a lower emphasis on rents, rose only 1.4% in November from a year earlier; it hasn’t matched the central bank’s 2 percent goal since April
“Consumer prices have trekked higher over the past few months on the back of higher energy prices,” Sam Bullard, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, said in a note before the report. The Fed is “well-positioned for multiple rate hikes in 2017” with inflation near target and unemployment below 5 percent, he wrote.
Some more details on core prices:
The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in December. The shelter index rose 0.3 percent in December, the same increase as in November, with the indexes for rent and owners' equivalent rent both repeating their November increases of 0.3 percent. The index for motor vehicle insurance rose 0.8 percent in December following a 1.0 percent rise the prior month. The medical care index, which was unchanged in October and November, rose 0.2 percent in December. The hospital services index rose 0.3 percent, and the index for prescription drugs increased 0.2 percent.
The education index also increased in December, rising 0.5 percent. The index for airline fares increased 1.9 percent after declining in November. The index for used cars and trucks rose 0.5 percent, its largest increase since April 2015. The index for new vehicles increased slightly, rising 0.1 percent after falling 0.1 percent in November. Also increasing in December were the indexes for tobacco (0.4 percent), personal care (0.3 percent), household furnishings and operations (0.1 percent), and alcoholic beverages (0.1 percent).
The recreation index was unchanged in December. The apparel index, which fell 0.5 percent in November, declined 0.7 percent in December. The communication index also fell in December, decreasing 0.1 percent.
In short, prices continue to rise and will only accelerate should any of Trump's proposed fiscal measures be implemented.
4 Reasons You Should Be Sick and Tired of Hearing About Dow 20,000
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:03:00 GMT
Why Did Dunkin' Brands Stock Gain 23% in 2016?
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 14:00:00 GMT
New ABC / WaPo Poll Uses "Oversamples" To Goal Seek Strong Obama Approval Rating
via by Tyler Durden on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:47:43 GMT
Just one day after the bitter mainstreamers at ABC/WaPo and CNN used their "oversamples" of Democrats to rig polls showing an unprecedented unfavorable rating of the incoming President-elect (see "New ABC / WaPo Poll Shows Drop In Trump Favorability Courtesy Of Aggressive 'Oversamples'"), those same outlets have used those same methodologies to engineer stellar approval ratings for Obama...shocking.
Just like yesterday's polls, both ABC / Wapo and CNN used an aggressive, 8-point "oversample" of Democrats to lavish praise on their chose party and candidate.
Apparently, ABC / WaPo believes that only 23% of registered voters are Republican...
...while CNN stretched to 24% Republicans but still maintained their 8-point Democrat oversample by just adding more dems to the pool.
A total of 1,000 adults were interviewed by telephone nationwide by live interviewers calling both landline and cell phones. Among the entire sample, 32% described themselves as Democrats, 24% described themselves as Republicans, and 44% described themselves as independents or members of another party
And, of course, when you load up a poll with an "oversampling" of Democrats, you predictably get high approval ratings for Democratic candidates...surprise, surprise. Here are the ABC / WaPo results...
...and CNN.
Meanwhile, ABC / WaPo provided the following convenient chart which perfectly illustrates why "oversamples" are so important. By our math, using the actual split of registered voters based on actual data (i.e. 33% Dem, 29% Rep and 38% Independent/Other) and a normalized approval rating among Independents would result in an Obama approval rating of ~52%. But, with a 90% approval rating among his own party and a suspicious surge in approval among "Independents" (which is more likely attributable to samples more Independents in Democrat-leaning precincts), it's very easy to see how even just small "oversamples" can result in massive swings in the overall results.
Meanwhile, despite having one of the highest approval ratings of any exiting President in modern history, ABC / WaPo found that, even with their oversamples, 63% of Americans still see the country as being on the wrong track...figure that one out.
In any event, this tweet still sums up the continued mainstream media polling farce the best:
The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 17, 2017
3 Bank Stocks I'd Buy Right Now
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:48:00 GMT
Games Hold the Key to Teaching Artificial Intelligence Systems
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:43:00 GMT
What Wage Inflation? Real Average Weekly Earnings Growth Plunges To Weakest In 30 Months
via by Tyler Durden on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:36:19 GMT
Despite all the excitement and media hype that wage growth is finally upon us and the green shoots of escape velocity recovery are here, thanks to Obama and Yellen, the facts are different. Real average weekly earnings rose just 0.2% year-over-year in December - the weakest growth since June 2014 (and November's gains were revised lower).
When Obama took office, real average weekly earnings was growing at around 2.5% YoY. As he leaves office it is growing at just 0.2% YoY.
Does that look like a healthy economic trajectory to hand over to President Trump?
Nordstrom Won't Be Closing Many Stores This Year
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:30:00 GMT
Man Sets Himself On Fire Outside Trump D.C. Hotel In Protest Of Inauguration
via by Tyler Durden on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:25:36 GMT
A protester set himself on fire outside Trump International Hotel in Washington DC on Tuesday night around 9:30pm in what appears to be a failed attempt at self-immolation, NBC4DC reported. The unidentified man called Trump a "dictator" and said the act was in protest of Trump's upcoming inauguration.
#BREAKING: Man lights fire near #TrumpInternationalHotel. Employees call police. Man told me he's from CA & protesting #TrumpInauguration pic.twitter.com/noUwttKRL5
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) January 18, 2017
NEW VIDEO #BREAKING:
Man says Trump is a dictator. He tried to light himself on fire at #TrumpInternationalHotel for #TrumpInauguration pic.twitter.com/laJDUPepO6— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) January 18, 2017
'(I'm protesting) the fact that we've elected somebody who is completely incapable of respecting the constitution of the United States.'
Witnesses described how he yelled 'Trump' several times as 'flames ran up his back' before lying down in the street. He has suffered non-life-threatening burns and was taken to hospital shortly after the incident at around 9.30pm.
It is unclear if the man has been arrested. According to the Daily Mail, the man's wounds were not serious. A
by-passer said it was not initially clear what the man was protesting
when he set fire to items of clothing in the street outside the hotel.
'He set himself on fire and as flames ran up his back he yelled Trump several times then lay down in the street. (He) then walked over to the police/security,' Michael Shoag, who arrived at the hotel after the man set himself on fire, said.
While the man appeared to have suffered burns to his back, he was able to walk.
Anti-Trump protesters have been flocking to Washington DC this week ahead of Friday's inauguration. They also inundated Ivanka Trump's Manhattan home on Tuesday, carrying moving boxes plastered with protest slogans to mock the businesswoman's move to Washington.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday he would also join demonstrators at a protest outside the family's Manhattan hotel on the eve of the inauguration. 'I'm rallying at Trump Int’l Hotel at 6PM on Jan. 19 because our next president needs to hear from all NYers before he takes office. Join us,' the mayor tweeted.
Trump Was Right: Top NATO General Concedes Alliance Is "Obsolete"
via by Tyler Durden on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:16:30 GMT
The media remains focused on the apparently widening gap between the president-elect and his Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis over NATO after Trump reconfirmed charges from his campaign that NATO is "obsolete," in a joint interview Sunday with The London Times and Germany's Bild publication, which are at odds with retired Marine Gen. Mattis, who said, "If we didn't have NATO today, we'd need to create it. NATO is vital to our interests," during his Senate confirmation hearing last week.
In his remarks to The London Times and Bild, Trump said of NATO: "It's obsolete, first because it was designed many, many years ago." He renewed his charges that most members of the 28-nation alliance are not living up to their responsibilities under the treaty.
The U.S. provides about 70 percent of the funding for NATO while other nations "aren't paying their fair share, so we're supposed to protect countries," Trump said. "There's five countries that are paying what they're supposed to -- five. It's not much."
And it appears some in NATO agree, as AP reports, a top NATO general is conceding that parts of the military alliance need to be brought up to date following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's claim that NATO is "obsolete."
Reacting to Trump's criticism in an interview this week, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation General Denis Mercier said Tuesday, "We see that there is a need for adaptation."
Mercier acknowledged that NATO has "some structures that are obsolete."
He says the military alliance probably has focused too much on deploying troops abroad, so-called expeditionary warfare, particularly its operation in Afghanistan.
Mercier says the alliance wants to revamp its approach to counter-terrorism, in part by helping countries under threat to develop long-term plans to fight extremists.
Germany was one of a number of European nations stunned by Trump's remarks.
After meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Trump's criticism of NATO is "in contradiction" of Mattis' vision of a strengthened alliance and U.S. support of NATO's Article 5, which considers an attack on any member as an attack against all.
"Obviously, the comments from President-elect Trump that he views NATO as obsolete were viewed with anxiety," Steinmeier said.
Why Forward Pharma A/S Gained 48.2% on Tuesday
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:29:45 GMT
U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis to Step Down at the Top of His Game
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:28:00 GMT
Why Shares of The Kraft Heinz Company Gained 20% in 2016
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:26:00 GMT
3 Reasons CVS Health Corporation Stock Could Rise
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:21:00 GMT
Here's How the Stock Market Works
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:20:00 GMT
Amazing Small Business Ideas Anyone Can Do
via Len Penzo dot Com by Patrick Ward on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:15:20 GMT
These 3 Stocks Have Embarrassingly Low Dividends
via Motley Fool Headlines by on Wed, 18 Jan 2017 13:11:00 GMT